Pours black as an oil slick, with a thin, yet VERY frothy head of angry looking burnt and reddish colored mocha head. This stays very rich, leaving thick swathes of foam and brown goo down the sides of the glass. Bourbon mixes with the base Stout to give the aroma a deeply meaty and smoky tang. Chocolate, coffee, and roast are well integrated in the nose, with extra notes of vanilla, oak, plums, and licorice giving this some smoothness. I'm even getting a little bit of the cedar from this during every other sniff of the glass. Pretty good evenness between the beer & barrel as this warms up some.

The taste is chocolate, fruit, and dark roast up front, while the Bourbon spreads across the back of the throat with a wave of vanilla, butterscotch, smoke, and char. That hoppy attitude of the base beer is still in effect in this version, but the sweetness and oak of the barrel have appeared to reduce it down into a more earthy and herbal character. The finish is tannic, drying, and warm. The mouthfeel is fuller bodied, with a slick and creamy warmth to it from the Bourbon and ABV that gives the mouth a sticky coating of sweetness and roast. Pretty steady drinkibility on this as well for such a big Stout, as I drained my share of this in no time.

The Bourbon was interesting in this. While it does add flavor to the profile, it appears to lack the real sharpness and enveloping feel that I'm used to in some other examples of the style. While I admit that some might find this most appealing, I personally was looking for a bit more. That's just nitpicking though, as I have to admit that this was some tasty stuff and the little bit that I received from this bottle wasn't nearly enough. I would like to explore this beer again in the future.

Thanks for FooFaa for sharing bottle 182 of 449. Shared with the masses at Deuane's birthday.

A: My comments on the regular version hold true: The RIS is a bold black color, impenetrable and murky. A caramel-hued head rests pleasantly atop the beer.

S: The roasted aspects of the nose are not muted by the barrel aging. The nose is still a roasted mess of a stout. There is some bourbon (vanilla, wood, etc.) that manages to make itself known.

T: Much like the original, the muddled roasted malt body overtakes damn near everything. The burnt toast is scorched. Bourbon, sweet and boozy, does cut into the sharp malts a bit, making the stout more palatable than the non barrel-aged version.

M: The roasted body is dominant although there is more sweetness as a result of the bourbon. Unfortunately, I just can't get into this stout.

D: If only CCB put more time into the beer than they put into the witty, confounding labels.

cracked for the hell of it tonight because we wanted to do something rare, this was certainly pretty damn rare for sure. split into twin snifters.

dark inky black with a creamy brown head that rose up to a height of two fingers before settling down and dropping tons of lacing up and down the sides of the glass. really a very full looking beer.

aroma is deep bourbon. lots of vanilla and oakey notes that start to fill the air from the very first moment. sweet and full of character the rich chocolate notes that really fill the air. thick molasses and rich sweet vanilla notes just fill the flavor. thick an full the profile is outstanding. it seems the bourbon is really taking a hold of this beer and running with it. simply astoundingly smooth with not even a touch of alcohol

Black, completely pitch black - even the pour is opaque. I've never seen a darker beer. The head is nearly black, maybe a shade or two lighter than the body.

The aroma is like hoppy tar juice, barrel-aged. Smells like they abused the black patent malt. There's a bit of whiskey aroma, and quite a bit of heat, but no real sweetness, and nothing I generally tend to appreciate in bal-aged beers. In summary: hot, tarry, burnt, hoppy.

Charred malt hits the palate first, astringently bitter from both bittering hops and excessive amounts of dark roasted malt. The mid-palate is downright brutal, with a harsh tar-like flavor that seems to linger on forever, until it finally subsides and leads into a shockingly decent finish of whiskey barrel and chocolate truffles. The body is rich and full, but the overall mouthfeel is incredibly astringent and unpleasant. Drinkability couldn't get much lower, between cost, rarity and market saturation of this style. I can't fathom why this beer has such a high rating here.

Huge oak and molasses aroma. Heavily roasted malt and dark cocoa. CCB knows how to make an impressive stout looking.

Like biting into a 90% dark Moroccan cocoa bar with some added vanilla to smooth it out. Molasses with a crazy ashy burnt malt aftertaste and dark cherries. A heavily charred barrel flavor accents this beauty.

Medium viscosity for a heavy stout. Rather light carbonation. The barrel treatment served this beer well as I didn't care too much for the regular version.

Pours black with a mocha head that recedes fairly quickly, leaving behind some pretty good legs. The nose is bourbon, oak, vanilla, chocolate, coffee, and some roasted malt. Hints of dark fruits. The taste is similar with some strong notes of bourbon along with some oak and chocolate. The feel is pretty strong and a bit boozy. Drinks well and was one of my first beers from them; quite a first impression.

Bottle #138 of 449, purchased from brewery last week. Super viscous jet black pour into a snifter. 1/4" espresso colored head bubbled up from the depth of the glass, hung out for a minute and quickly disappeared into the dark night.

Boozy on the nose, as expected and very woody- oak & cedar. A touch of caramel surrounding the dominant bourbon.

Quite oily and slick. Very dominant cedar/oaky notes hitting the big bourbon. Hot booze prick on the tongue, somewhat tannic. Mineral twinge in there, bitter cocoa nibs. Lots of wood going on. Sweet silky bourbon mouthfeel. Big blast of heat on the finish...wow. Cedar lingers for a while bringing some fragrant tobacco and a dose of astringency. Very drinkable and highly enjoyable. I think that the sharp flavors will round out more over time.

One of the more interesting bigger stouts I've had. So much wood that somehow This one has big balls, which is not to mean that I just drank a glass of big balls. It's beers like this that need a 6th category- Uniqueability.

A: The beer looks much the same as the regular version, black and dense, with a brownish head to go with it.

S: Certainly smells like a barrel aged beer. Big whiskey, vanilla, and oak. Some booze to it, but it's fine with me. Not quite as roasty as the regular version with a bigger emphasis on the sweetness and chocolate notes.

T: Sweet vanilla, oak, and whiskey along with some toffee and chocolate. Hints of roasted malt and coffee come through, but they're drowned out by the barrel. A touch boozier on the tongue than the nose.

M: The body is sort of thin on this beer, unfortunately. Medium carbonation.

O: The flavors here were solid, other than a bit too heavy on the booze, but the mouthfeel was a real let down.

A-Much like the original with an oily black body but this time the deep burnt tan head sticks around and leaves some spotty lace.

S-Deep, sweet bourbon notes help mellow out the harshness of the roasted malts. Backing notes of cocoa, leather, coffee and cedar are more controlled and muted in a good way.

T-Bourbon soaked chocolate with just a touch of peppery cedar in the background. Pleasant notes of cocoa, coffee and leather peek through from time to time but the bourbon helps keep the ripping bitter roast in check and helps smooth things out.

M-Medium-heavy bodied with a lighter touch than the original. Also, note as dry and harsh in the lingering flavours either.

D-Amazing what a little time in a barrel can do for a beer! Harsh edges have been whittled away and a smooth, enjoyable beer emerges. Still this one comes off a bit too strong in the end but the barrel aged version is a BIG improvement over the base beer.

A very nice Russian Imperial Stout that balances coffee and cocoa with esters and alcohol. I'm going to drink this beer anyway, despit being educated, working reasonable hours, enjoying life, and with enough expendable income to afford this beer; regardless of the mimricks on the lable.

110K+ starts with an extremely viscous pour. With motor oil-like weight, the beer slowly and stubbornly builds a solid brown head that retains very well and laces all the while. Black as it gets, the beer is completely opaque.

Malty rich aromas of whopper candies are soon dwarfed by the immense cocoa and espresso notes. Cherries, licorice, plumb, and currant give a fruity and nearly vinous character because of the barrel aging. Paint thinning alcohols increase as the beer warms. This beer smells exactly as Stouts should.

Flavors of espresso and cocoa rise immediately but with a harsher burnt grain character to go along with the roast. The whopper candy maltiness has a hard time overcomming the acrid and nearly ashy flavor. Licorice, red grapes, blackberries, currants, and plumb skins give a well received complexity to the chocolate and coffee tones but with the combinatioin of alcohols, the beer begins to take on a cough syrup taste (Robitussin).

Though full, rich, and weighted, the beer doesn't hold its firmness very long and quickly succumbs to the vinous tawny and lightly astringent and powedery roast texture- perhaps from the barrel. The sharper alcohols only aid in the beer's thinning character while giving a hot sensation that ultimately hurts the drinkability.

Though the beer fares quite well, I wish it retained the smooth maltiness that the nose displays consistently through the session.

Courtesy of tlay10, I was able to enjoy this beer directly after tasting the original version. This bottle is from batch 2, number 167 of 449.

It's got the same look as original, an inky brew with a super-dark head that fizzles out quickly. Some spots and zig zags of lace pepper the glass as I drink.

The hops smell fresher here, brighter. The whiskey is nicely in-balance with the rest of the aromas, which are also similar to the original: tobacco, balsamic vinegar, black pepper, sweet molasses and currants. However, those smells seem better blended here. It seems aging has melded the aromas that seemed separate in the un-aged version.

The flavor mirrors the nose: cedar, dark chocolate, tobacco, pine, licorice. The whiskey is subtle, which I like. Improves immensely as it warms.

Feels a little fizzy for what it is, but soft. Some alcohol is noticeable in the nose. The carbonation is slight amidst a velvety medium-full body.

A vast improvement over the non-barrel-aged version, the flavors I found challenging before are subdued and there was far more balance here, making it incredibly tasty and drinkable. I found myself hogging most of this bottle.

Bottle 277/449 consumed on 11/08/2009 and poured into a snifter. The beer pours out like motor oil and is pure black. The creamy head is a unique dark brown with nice retention.

The nose is aggressive with strong roasted malt, chocolate notes, and noticeable hop character. I'm not sure what barrels were used for this beer, but the barrel quality reminds me of whisky, rather than bourbon. The nose is rather solventy and the malt is borderline burnt. Molasses is noticeable and alcohol vapor stings my nose. The nose is complex, but the elements almost seem to be working against each other.

The flavor opens up with sweet whisky, dark fruit, and a moderate bitterness. The taste gets very aggressive with strong roast, almost burnt, and harsh solvents. Alcohol is potent, and chocolate is present. The beer rounds out a bit in the finish and takes the aggressiveness down a notch. The taste is complex, but the flavors don't work in harmony. Booze lingers...

Mouthfeel is chewy and chalky, and carbonation is at a nice low-medium level for a beer of the Russian Imperial Stout genre. In conclusion, this beer is harsh and merely okay.